Sailing the Gannetsway: Greystones-Sherkin

We had arrived at Greystones in good time for our Matthew and Holly's wedding. Holly comes from Delgany nearby, and they first met at our Fionnuala's wedding 10 years ago to Anto, Lord Ardee if you don't mind from Killruddery, also nearby. Here they are aboard with the happy results of that union; the bump has been safely delivered since and is now Evelyn. That's Matthew on the right, Anto is behind him, but since he is on his phone he doesn't get a place in the photo. Mind it's a tough number running a show like that and everyone expects his lordship to be available the whole time.... Actually I think they're doing a great job of reinventing a long tradition! See www.killruddery.com/

Well, here is a nice photo of Anto, taken like all the next few by our John at the wedding:-

And here are Holly and Matthew getting spliced:

The Full Catastrophe, as Zorba the Greek would have called it, were present and correct. I may as well take the opportunity to introduce our family:-

Well, introducing that lot properly at one go is not going to work; it will have to wait until they come into the story. Fiona and I have four sons and five daughters in there.

Meanwhile a very good time was had by all, while the Anna M enjoyed a well-earned rest in the excellent new harbour there at Greystones, which is a most impressive bit of design. Pity I seem to have lost the photos I took of it! Like the two above, taken by our John, I shall use some more that he took at the wedding to introduce the ones who came on our fine sail to Ballycotton and Cork.

Aunty Cristiona can be very down-to-earth sometimes

and was brilliant to have along especially when the younger crew members needed sorting out: the two As, Alec and Aaron

and Lizzie

We whistled round to Ballycotton in under 24 hours, with an ideal NW breeze, and spending 3 hours anchored in St Margaret's Bay, just north of Carnsore Point, while the tide was foul.
While I rested from a sleepless night on watch, the lads paddled off in the dinghy and caught a few mackerel, said to be very scarce this year. Then we walked along the cliffs to see my very dear old friends Ken and Rachel:

Off to Cork next day, right up to the city, so that we could go our separate ways handily while some bad weather came in. I went home to Sherkin on the bus for the weekend. God bless Charlie Haughey says I, and his free travel passes for pensioners, which means that I can get home for nothing from anywhere in Ireland; very much appreciated, I can tell you!

Rory and his young son Sean came along for the trip downriver. Turning as we left the pontoon after the gale, I managed to get the ladder on the transom caught under one of the metal cleats, which not alone mangled the ladder, but yanked the boat tight round so that the self-steering was damaged. Wonderful how one can go on making mistakes at this game, and be punished for the least failure of concentration, as Rory said! Only going to Crosshaven anyway, where I got the damage sorted at Salve Marine, and happily Richard, Sheila, Tristram and Lucy came for a very pleasant day sail.

Then at last the mate joined me again, along with Aaron, and with a good offshore breeze we sailed for home; bit late getting away however, so we put into Courtmacsherry for a night, and along comes mistake number three. It was nearly two hours after high water, and according to both my paper and electronic charts there should have been plenty of water as I went to anchor in the recommended spot:

but there wasn't, and we grounded and stuck fast where the icon is above. The narrow deep channel was just to the north of us, and we ended up on our beam-ends. An uncomfortable night, but the old girl came up like a daisy, and we were on our way early in the morning, past the Seven Heads,